A Portadown man who stole a £250 TV to pay off an alleged debt has been told that inflation will be factored in to any compensation he is ordered to pay.
The case of Daniel Palko, of Beech Close, was heard at Craigavon Magistrates’ Court, with the 24-year-old facing the charge of one count of theft which occurred on October 21 last year.
At the outset of the hearing, the defence requested that the case be adjourned to allow the defendant to obtain the outstanding money.
District Judge Bernie Kelly responded: “This was October 2022 and you’re telling me that from October 22 until September 23 he can’t gather up 250 quid? That’s not how it works.”
The court then heard that on October 22 last year, the injured party had reported that the defendant, who rented a room at his property in Craigavon, had taken a £250 35″ Samsung TV from the property.
Prosecution added that a £250 compensation order was being sought.
District Judge Kelly replied: “£250 is not going to cut it a year later. Not with inflation. It’ll cost a lot more than £250 to replace it.”
And she add that there was also a breach of trust element to the case.
Conor Lunny BL, defending, explained that this was a shared house and he was owed money by the purported owner of the TV and he took the TV when he moved out.
“He knows now that’s not the way things work and he knows it’s illegal,” Mr Lunny added, saying that after legal advice the defendant “very quickly” accepted the TV wasn’t his.
District Judge Kelly continued: “It might be a case where a pre-sentence report is required given his lack of record and given the fact that there is a breach of trust element to the charge.
“He’s going to have to come up with an awful lot more than £250.
“Perhaps a figure of about £300 should adequately allow for any inflationary increases in the past 12 months.”
The case was adjourned to October 13.
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